MARCH 2 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000517 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR OES NANCY POWELL USDA FOR FAS/OA, FAS/DLP, FAS/ICD AND FAS/ITP USDA ALSO FOR APHIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO KFLU EAID AMED EAGR NI SUBJECT: MARCH 2 NIGERIA AVIAN FLU UPDATE REF: ABUJA 501 ¶1. Summary. Bird-culling operations were carried out in Bauchi and Nasarawa States on Feb. 28. A GON official said the government hoped to begin paying compensation for birds by March 3, or by March 5 at the latest, and that Nigeria would concentrate on compensation to commercial chicken farmers. A GON official appeared to want to diminish expectations by saying compensation would not be compensation but rather a "relief measure." Interstate commercial transport operators said no controls over movements of poultry were in place at major Lagos State border posts. The Poultry Association of Nigeria organized southwestern rallies to boost the consumption of poultry products. End summary. ¶2. Economic officer and agricultural attache attended the March 1 steering committee meeting at the Government of Nigeria's (GON) Avian Influenza (AI) Crisis Management Center. There was little new information, in large part because GON officials and foreign experts were attending the two-day workshop in Kaduna for state veterinary and HEALTH officials on strategies for controlling and managing AI. GON officials conceded the workshop was not reaching as many officials as hoped, because short notice had reduced attendance. About 150 persons attended it. A GON official said the 10,000 doses of Tamiflu provided by the World Health Organization had been distributed nationally. Nigeria would buy additional doses. Bird-culling operations were carried out in Bauchi and Nasarawa States on Feb. 28. Compensation to be paid ... at some point -------------- ¶3. A GON official said Nigeria hoped to begin paying compensation for birds by March 3, or by March 5 at the latest. (Payments had been scheduled to start Feb. 28.) Cash should be ready for distribution on March 3. Another GON official tried to diminish expectations by saying compensation was not compensation but rather was a "relief measure." A UK official twice pushed the GON to move rapidly on compensating small and informal chicken farmers who lack documentation of the birds they own. A GON official replied that Nigeria first would concentrate on commercial chicken farmers and "we pray we will not have to handle" the issue of backyard farmers. Prepare for bird inoculations? -------------- ¶4. A European Union (EU) official said that if the GON wished to begin a campaign of bird inoculations, it should take into account the "at least" one-month delay for Nigeria to obtain the necessary vaccines and carry out sufficient planning. A GON official said it would be good for Nigeria to have vaccinations "as a fallback position" while it continued culling operations. Another GON official said equipping the country's laboratories is a higher priority than preparing for a vaccination campaign. The EU official cautioned there is currently a heavy demand worldwide for bird vaccine and that Nigeria should consider immunizations "more urgently." The World HEALTH Organization's Nigeria representative urged the GON to spell out clearly its position on vaccination. On a suggestion by an Information Ministry official, the HEALTH minister agreed it would be useful for National Immunization Day teams, which inoculate against polio and other diseases, to publicize at the same time simple messages about AI. Meanwhile, Foreign Agricultural Service industry contacts reported that Poultry Association of Nigeria members were receiving vaccines ordered from overseas. Presumably some commercial farmers intend to do their own vaccination. Southwest poultry farmers organize rallies -------------- ¶5. On Feb. 28, the Poultry Association of Nigeria (Southwest) and other persons involved in the poultry sector, in collaboration with Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, held rallies in major cities and regional ABUJA 00000517 002 OF 002 centers to boost the consumption of poultry products. Hundreds of youths wearing branded T-shirts and playing musical instruments moved around city centers in caravans. Prepared poultry products were distributed to by-standers at no charge during the event. Vehicles in the caravan carried banners and posters with inscriptions such as "No Bird Flu in the Southwest" and "Chicken and Egg Consumption Healthy in the Southwest." The national poultry association and local officials are planning several bird flu sensitization workshops throughout Lagos and in neighboring states. Visits to several Lagos fast-food outlets that serve chicken revealed lighter than usual customer traffic, but several operators reported a slight increase in the number of customers compared to two weeks ago. ¶6. Interviews with interstate commercial transport operators at major Lagos State border posts found that no controls over movements of poultry were in place. The agricultural attache delivered on March 1 to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 1:250,000-scale area maps of Nigeria provided by the defense attache's office. The FAO and GON technical teams will use these maps for field operations. ¶7. Meanwhile AP wire services reported that in the villages near Sambawa farm, site of the first confirmed outbreak, poultry was now dying off rapidly, but no veterinary officials had visited these villages, and the outbreaks had not been officially reported. In meeting with the agriculture attache, Nigeria's chief veterinary officer indicated that the response was focused on commercial and semi-commercial farms and was not yet dealing with backyard poultry. CAMPBELL